APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) The latest round of peace talks between Ethiopia’s federal government and a rebel group waging a protracted conflict in the Oromia region, have ended without an agreement, according to the prime minister’s office.
The Ethiopian government and the radical ethnic Oromo nationalist group- OLF-Shane , which the Ethiopian parliament designated as a terrorist organisation in May 2021, have been engaging in a peace talk in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania for over a week.
Redwan Hussien, Security Advisor to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, shared on his official X page, “The Government of FDRE has engaged in peace talks with Shene/OLF-OLA, aiming to end the conflict in some parts of the Oromia region. Unfortunately, the two rounds of talks ended without an agreement.”
This latest talk marked the second round. The first one was held about six months ago.
The Ethiopian government is accusing the militant group which calls itself the “Oromo Liberation Army” (OLA) of not being committed to the second round of talks.
The government in a statement said it was guided within the framework of principles which include respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and respect for constitutional norms.
“Due to the intransigence of the other party the talks have come to an end without an agreement. The obstructive approach and unrealistic demands of the other party are the principal reasons why these talks could not succeed,” Hussien said.
OLA said it is fighting for greater autonomy for the Oromo, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, who have long claimed being marginalised.
The insurgency stretches back to the 1970s but has escalated in recent years, killing thousands and rendering lawless vast swathes of Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest region.
It is not disclosed to the Ethiopian public as to who was mediating the talks, what Abiy Ahmed’s government is offering in the peace talk and what the OLA has been demanding.
MG/as/APA